Garfish Kirribilli: our new head chef Michael Hicks

We’re very excited that long time Garfish kitchen team member, Mick Hicks has joined Kirribilli as Head Chef! Read on below to find out the type of food you can expect from Mick and his team.

Q: You’ve been with Garfish now for quite some time, how have you found the transition to head chef at Kirribilli?

Mick: I started at Manly in 2013 under Stewart and Mike as a Junior Sous Chef, then moved to Crows Nest in 2015 as Sous Chef, before accepting the Head Chef position in September this year. Paul, my Sous Chef, has been at Kirribilli for 4 years, and with such a good understanding of the kitchen and clientele he’s really made the transition easy for me.

Q: What do you like about Kirribilli compared to the other Garfish restaurants?

Mick: I like the togetherness and intimacy of the team (it’s a very small kitchen!), and the clientele of the restaurant appreciate more refined food, which suits me to the ground. Working at Kirribilli gives me a great opportunity to try and push the boundaries a little bit.

Q: How would you define your style of food?

Mick: Modern Australian classics with a twist. For example my ‘Cherry Ripe’ dessert is a playful take on the Aussie chocolate bar, and we’ve been experimenting with a strawberries and cream eton mess style brûlée that might make it to the menu soon.

Q: What are you really enjoying cooking at the moment?

Mick: The crustaceans, particularly scampi and bugs, are great right now and really coming into season. They are stunning when cooked simply with classic garnishes.

Q: What is flying out the door right now?

Mick: The board specials seem to be really popular with the regulars at the moment. We’ve been using the blackboard as a way to test dishes, before they get rolled out to the regular menu. The three grain salad with radish, kale, sunflower seeds and sumac has been really popular, so expect to see this shortly on the fixed menu.

We’ve also started doing the blackboard specials as takeaway, and this has been proving very popular. I think clients like it as they can call up on their way home from work and pick up dinner as they come through.

Q: What would you recommend to clientele if they were to come for dinner at Garfish Kirriblli tonight?